Search results for "Synaptic Transmission"
showing 10 items of 178 documents
gamma-Aminobutyric acid type A/benzodiazepine receptors regulate rat retina neurosteroidogenesis.
1995
Abstract It has been previously shown that retinal ganglion cells have the ability to synthesize steroids including neuroactive steroids such as pregnenolone sulfate. Since ganglion cells possess GABAA/benzodiazepine (BZ) receptors and neurosteroids modulate retinal GABAA receptor function, we investigated the role of these receptors in isolated rat retina neurosteroidogenesis. Ligands for central-type BZ receptors stimulated retinal pregnenolone synthesis. Clonazepam was the most potent ligand examined acting at nanomolar concentrations. Moreover, the effective steroidogenesis stimulatory dose (ED50) for these ligands and theKi to inhibit [3-H]flunitrazepam binding showed a coefficient of …
Myasthenia-like syndrome induced by cardiovascular agents. Report of a case
1987
The case of a myasthenia-like syndrome induced by cardiovascular drugs is reported. The clinical and electrophysiological features of the case are discussed. © 1987 Masson Italia Periodici S.r.l.
Effects of antidepressants in adrenergic neurotransmission of human vas deferens
2000
Objectives. To evaluate the effects of sertraline, fluoxetine, and amitriptyline on the contractile responses of the human vas deferens muscle elicited by norepinephrine, electrical field stimulation, and KCl, because the therapeutic action of antidepressants may be accompanied by sexual dysfunction related to the contractility of the vas deferens smooth muscle. Methods. Ring segments of the epididymal part of the vas deferens were taken from 32 elective vasectomies and mounted in organ baths for isometric recording of tension. We then studied the effects of sertraline, fluoxetine, and amitriptyline on the neurogenic and agonist-induced contractile responses. Results. Amitriptyline caused c…
Impaired neuromuscular transmission during partial inhibition of acetycholinest-erase: The of stimulus-induced antiromic backfiring in the generation…
1992
Neuromuscular transmission was studied in the rat phrenic nerve-hemidiaphragm preparation with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) partially inactivated. Enzyme inhibition resulted in (1) increased single-twitch tension of the diaphragm; (2) compound muscle action potential (CMAP) containing repetitive discharges; (3) stimulus-induced antidromic backfiring (SIAB) seen in the phrenic nerve; and (4) repetitive nerve stimulation (RNS) eliciting a decrement-increment (D-I) phenomenon (i.e., amplitude reduction maximal with the second CMAP). Using a high-calcium and low-magnesium solution, SIAB and the decrement of the second CMAP during RNS were intensified, whereas closely spaced trains and (+)-tubocu…
Some pharmacological properties of the false cholinergic transmitter acetylpyrrolidinecholine and its precursor pyrrolidinecholine
1976
The acetylchline analogue acetylpyrrolidinecholine as well as the choline analogue pyrrolidinecholine were synthesized and the cholinergic properties of both substances were investigated on the guinea-pig ileum, rat blood pressure and frog rectus abdominis muscle. Acetylpyrrolidinecholine was 3-5 times less potent than acetylcholine on the three preparations tested. The dose-response curves to acetylpyrrolidinecholine were shifted to the right in a parallel manner by atropine and (+)-tubocurarine. The dissociation constants for atropine and (+)-tubocurarine obtained with acetylpyrrolidinecholine as agonist were not different from those obtained with acetylcholine. This indicates that acetyl…
The inhibition by dopamine of cholinergic transmission in the isolated guinea-pig ileum. Mediation through alpha-adrenoceptors.
1982
1. Segments of the guinea-pig ileum were incubated in Tyrode's solution containing 3 μM propranolol. Dopamine, like noradrenaline and clonidine, inhibited the twitch response to field stimulation. The inhibitory action of dopamine remained unchanged in the presence of the dopamine uptake inhibitor nomifensine (1 μM). Tissue from reserpine-pretreated amimals was insensitive to tyramine but the response to dopamine was not affected. It is, therefore, assumed that the effect of dopamine is due to a direct receptor stimulation and not to the release of noradrenaline. 2. The inhibitory action of dopamine was not antagonized by the dopamine receptor antagonists cis-flupenthixol, pimozide or dompe…
Mating Increases Neuronal Tyrosine Hydroxylase Expression and Selectively Gates Transmission of Male Chemosensory Information in Female Mice
2013
Exposure to chemosensory signals from unfamiliar males can terminate pregnancy in recently mated female mice. The number of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons in the main olfactory bulb has been found to increase following mating and has been implicated in preventing male-induced pregnancy block during the post-implantation period. In contrast, pre-implantation pregnancy block is mediated by the vomeronasal system, and is thought to be prevented by selective inhibition of the mate's pregnancy blocking chemosignals, at the level of the accessory olfactory bulb. The objectives of this study were firstly to identify the level of the vomeronasal pathway at which selective inhibition of the m…
Glial expression of Swiss cheese (SWS), the Drosophila orthologue of neuropathy target esterase (NTE), is required for neuronal ensheathment and func…
2016
ABSTRACT Mutations in Drosophila Swiss cheese (SWS) or its vertebrate orthologue neuropathy target esterase (NTE), respectively, cause progressive neuronal degeneration in Drosophila and mice and a complex syndrome in humans that includes mental retardation, spastic paraplegia and blindness. SWS and NTE are widely expressed in neurons but can also be found in glia; however, their function in glia has, until now, remained unknown. We have used a knockdown approach to specifically address SWS function in glia and to probe for resulting neuronal dysfunctions. This revealed that loss of SWS in pseudocartridge glia causes the formation of multi-layered glial whorls in the lamina cortex, the firs…
Temporal coherency between receptor expression, neural activity and AP-1-dependent transcription regulates Drosophila motoneuron dendrite development.
2013
Neural activity has profound effects on the development of dendritic structure. Mechanisms that link neural activity to nuclear gene expression include activity-regulated factors, such as CREB, Crest or Mef2, as well as activity-regulated immediate-early genes, such as fos and jun. This study investigates the role of the transcriptional regulator AP-1, a Fos-Jun heterodimer, in activity-dependent dendritic structure development. We combine genetic manipulation, imaging and quantitative dendritic architecture analysis in a Drosophila single neuron model, the individually identified motoneuron MN5. First, Dα7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and AP-1 are required for normal MN5 dend…
The cost of an action potential.
2000
Neuronal modules, or 'cell-assemblies', comprising millions of mutually interconnected cells have been postulated to form the basis of many functions of the brain, such as mood, sleep, hunger, vigilance, and more. Depending on the extent of the module, neurocommunication in cell-assemblies might exceed metabolic resources. A medium-size (10000 neurons) module would require at least 10 J per l of brain, based on a calculated cost of an isolated action potential (AP) of 10(11)-10(12) molecules of ATP per cm(2) of cell membrane, with an absolute minimum of 10(6) ATP at a node of Ranvier. The figure matches the cost of depolarizing the unmyelinated axon of the large monopolar cell in the blowfl…